Data Center Networking

Due to the peculiar characteristics of data center networking infrastructure, such as high availability, performance, resilience and scalability with multiple protocols, Cisco has a specific product line in its portfolio to meet these demands.

The linear portfolio of Nexus switches makes it possible to go from a 1Gb Ethernet network to a 100 Gb Ethernet network without affecting the infrastructure scalability. With several innovative technologies, Cisco makes Nexus line a benchmark in its segment.

Nexus 7000 is a modular switch with high scalability and performance, being well placed among diverse scenes. As a core switch, it may undertake the function of edge and interlink of data centers (using OTV/VXLAN) or performing as a FCoE concentrator. With Virtual Device Context (VDC) technology, Nexus 7000 is able to be divided in fully independent switches included in the same equipment, making it possible to create environments physically separated and to assemble fully secured and isolated networks, where, for example, data center traffic is totally separated from other traffics such as Internet, LAN, DMZ etc.

Cisco Nexus 6000 counts on excellent positioning as the 10/40Gb rack top or even core function for smaller data centers. Being able to scale up to 96 40Gb ports, it still supports 10Gb Ethernet, FCoE and native Fibre Channel. Fully L2 and L3 line-rate, it implements VXLAN and fabric extender technology (Nexus 2000).

As part of United Fabric solution, Nexus 5000 provides the highest density of 10Gb ports, besides the other features of Nexus family, its integration to Nexus 2000 includes a complete solution to meet networks totally 1/10Gb, FCoE and Fibre Channel.

Places as a rack top and access to the servers, Nexus 2000 performs as a remote port module of the main switch, thus getting the center management of all network rack top switches. Many Nexus 2000 line models attend with the best cost-benefit ratio in the market, the servers access to 1/10Gb, FCoE and Fibre Channel networks.

Cisco Unified FabricWhen we talk about Ethernet Network and SAN, we talk about two completely different, separated scenes. Cisco brought to the market the technology of United Fabric with FCoE (Fibre Channel over Ethernet), which allows SAN network to share the same physical infrastructure as the Ethernet network does, without affecting performance rates. Although it has its infrastructure shared, SAN network is managed apart from Ethernet scene, keeping the same safety level of a typical Fibre Channel SAN network. This technology brings great advantages for data center, since it reduces half of the number of network devices and up to 50% in the number of cables and adapters, still aggregating electric power and cooling, while saving space.

Cisco ACI is the newest data center architecture available in Nexus 9000 line, which simplifies, optimizes and speeds up the network configuration and troubleshooting in a centralized way. Far beyond a simple SDN (software defined network), Cisco ACI manages all virtual and physical network in a single controller, making it possible for applications which either demand high network performance or have sensitivity to latency to remain physically installed while interacting to the virtual network, regardless which virtualizer is being used. Having an open standard framework, Cisco ACI has an intrinsic integration to Openstack and many market players such as F5, Citrix, Microsoft, VMware, RedHat, Canonical etc.

Nowadays, given the increasing requirement for application availability and business staggering, it's been common to adopt the architecture of data centers geographically distributed, allowing a single information to be available in many locations at the same time. Technologies such as OTV (Overlay Transport Visualization) and VXLAN (Virtual Extensible LAN) allow the transparent interconnection of many data centers for the applications, keeping the same logical segmentation and accessibility of a single data center.